Mechanism to automatically adjust the intensity of the water flow in pools that generate a water stream

ABSTRACT

This invention can have industrial application in every swimming pool with water propulsion system (e.g. with jets, propeller, paddle-wheels, etc.) like swim-spas, where the user has to swim against a water current. It offers a technical solution to the problem that occurs at conventional pools of this type, where the water flow remains at a stable strength, until someone interferes manually. The new mechanism reacts to the swimming of the user automatically, since it recognizes the acceleration or deceleration of the swimmer via optical digital sensors and sends the necessary control command to the water propulsion system, raising or lowering the intensity of the water flow accordingly and so putting the swimmer automatically at his initial position. The advantage of this invention is mainly, that it gives the possibility to the serious swimmer to exercise in a technical right way and to the trainer to gain access to useful data.

This invention refers to pools and more specifically to pools that have the ability to generate a water stream to one direction by using for example propellers, jets, paddles or any other way.

The up to date technique of similar constructions limits the operation in the generation of the water stream and in the control of the intensity through switches, buttons and maybe other manual ways. An electronic control board could embed in the best case the possibility to program a training schedule, specially set to the users preferences. But there are also cases where the data must change during the training because the swimmer wants to change something in the program. Then he is forced to interrupt his program and to near the control board to give the new commands to the machine. Anything like that is very troublesome, inconvenient and non efficient for the one who trains, but also for the one who simply exercises. Purpose of this invention is the confrontation of this problem, where the swimmer is required to stop his correct movement in the water, “breaking” eventually his pace too.

The automatic mechanism to adjust the intensity of the water flow shall fluctuate the speed of the mass of the water that moves against the swimmer, so that he has no need to interfere manually onto some regulator. For this purpose optical digital sensors are placed at the sides of the pool (similar to those that are used in digital cameras with CCD picture converters), that pass the necessary information to a microprocessor, the controller. In this way it is possible to recognize the position of the swimmer relative to the edge of the pool and based on an appropriate algorithm, the processor passes in real time the corresponding control commands to the motor or whatever moves the water.

The new mechanism reacts actively to the swimming of the user. So, with this system the swimmer who wants to swim slower, swims slower and he who wants to accelerate swims faster and the mechanism of the pool adapts itself automatically to that. This makes training in such a swimming pool more pleasant and more effective. Besides, if someone uses data that the system has stored, the new invention can find an industrial application by the swimmer ergometry.

In the two attached drawings we see the parts relative to the invention in correspondence to two realizations of the invention. (These realizations are explained as examples for the invention in the next paragraph). There are visible: the pool (0), the optical sensors (1), potentially with their lens (2), the background surface (3) against the sensors. There are also the fields (4), i.e. those areas, where the sensors “catch” the position of the fingertips of the swimmer. Finally, the direction of the swimmer (5) and the flow of the stream (6) are indicated with two arrows of opposite direction.

Two possible ways to realize the new idea we will discuss now. In the first version (FIG. 1) the collectors of optical information and converters into digital data (1) are placed aside of the pool (0), under but near the surface of the water, in such a position so that they can “see” to the opposite side of the pool (3), again under the water. The difference in the second version (FIG. 2) is, that by using an appropriate lens (2) we attempt with a unit of one optical sensor (1) to cover the same optical field (4) as in the first version.

In both versions we attempt through the sensors to spot the propulsion or the retreat of the swimmer in the pool. So, we recognize also if the swimmer increases or if he decreases his speed. In the first case the electronics decide to increase the intensity of the water flow (6), while in the second the opposite.

The two versions (FIGS. 1 and 2) demand distinct programming for the controller of the motor. The logic of the first version (FIG. 1) is that the values from the sensors (1) are going to be estimated by comparing the differences between two successive sensors (1) as time goes by. A sensor (1), that at a time instance shows activity in his field (4), while in the next shows none, proofs us that the swimmer retreated at least the length that corresponds to the field (4) of this sensor (1) (while in the opposite case proofs of course the propulsion of the swimmer). If we extend this logic by comparing two or more sensors (1) to each other, then we can similarly draw conclusions for bigger lengths.

Now, the choice of those control time instances should be done so that a real slowing down of the swimmer will not be confused with the pull of his arm. For this particular reason we store in real time the sensor values continuously in a buffer memory. Then it is easy to compare and so to evaluate the “peaks”, i.e. those maximum values, that correspond to the stretching of the arms ahead. If a swimmer does this for example every two seconds the most, we can define that we should have at least one peak in this period. We understand that we have to choose an appropriate size for the buffer, so that it can cover periods for slower swimmers too, so that there is at least one peak in a period. After we have found the peak in a period, it remains simply to compare with the next period and/or peak.

The logic of the second version (FIG. 2) is based on the same principles as the first one, only here the values from zones of pixels upon the same optical sensor—converter (1) are calculated, just as if there were more distinct sensors (1) as in the first realization. For the choice of the size of those zones are determinant: the clearness of the lens (2), the resolution of the optical sensor (1).

Supplementary to the above we notice that for the reliable operation of the mechanism under nearly all lighting conditions of the environment, we choose against the sensors (1) on the other side of the pool a light-coloured or luminous surface (3) to create the necessary contrast relative to the body of the swimmer. Finally, also with proper mathematical methods and programming it is possible to take advantage of the data that are collected from the sensors (1) in one more way, namely through the projection/display of useful records for the swimmer, for example on an underwater monitor. The speed, pulls per minute, pulls per meter, covered time and distance and so on could be very informative.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 The first drawing depicts a first realization for the invention. There are visible: the pool (0), the optical sensors (1), the background surface (3) against the sensors. There are also the fields (4), i.e. those areas, where the sensors “catch” the position of the fingertips of the swimmer. Finally, the direction of the swimmer (5) and the flow of the stream (6) are indicated with two arrows of opposite direction.

FIG. 2 The second drawing depicts the second realization of the invention. There are visible: the pool (0), the optical sensor (1) with its lens (2), the background surface (3) against the sensor. There is also the field (4), i.e. the area, where the sensor “catches” the position of the fingertips of the swimmer. Finally, the direction of the swimmer (5) and the flow of the stream (6) are indicated with two arrows of opposite direction. 

1. Mechanism to automatically adjust the intensity of the water flow in pools, spas and so on, that generate a water stream to one direction. It is characterized by the possibility of automatic fluctuation of the water speed.
 2. The mechanism to automatically adjust the intensity of the water flow according to claim 1, characterized further by the use of a system of digital picture converters, optical lenses, light-coloured or luminous surfaces for the background and their positioning/arrangement in the pool area.
 3. The mechanism to automatically adjust the intensity of the water flow according to claim 2, characterized further by the use of an adaptive algorithm for the processing of the data in real time and the use of a digital processor, the controller for the mechanism.
 4. The mechanism to automatically adjust the intensity of the water flow according to claim 3, characterized further by the use of buffer memory (temporary memory) as this is necessary for the technique—procedure of the third claim.
 5. The mechanism to automatically adjust the intensity of the water flow according to claim 4, characterized further by the displaying of useful data on info-screen for the swimmer and further processing of the extracted data for ergometry purposes. 